Requiem for the HP tc1100

So long, tc1100. No, I’m not lamenting the discontinued status since HP has decided to drop you from production, although I’m not happy about it. No, I’m referring to the fact that my trusty tc1100 is dead as a door-nail. It all started yesterday afternoon while waiting for Matt Miller, intrepid co-host of MobileTechRoundup, to appear at my door. Matt was passing through town and we were able to hook up for a couple of hours at the newly inhabited Mobile Tech Manor. It was great meeting Matt and geeking out for a bit, although under somewhat strained circumstances. There was a flash thunderstorm just before Matt arrived and a very close lightning strike that was so severe it triggered the panic mode of the home security system. I got that turned off and then the real fun began.

It didn’t take me long to realize that while everything on my desk seemed to be working OK, with lights blinking and fan sounds in abundance as usual, that the HP tc1100 showed no lights at all sitting in the dock. Nothing I have tried has resuscitated my old friend back to life. I even tried letting it sit overnight without a battery installed and unplugged. The power light will only come on if there is no battery inserted, but it immediately goes off again when I hit the power switch. I have tried it with two different AC adapters, two different batteries, and the BatteryGeek Portable Power Station, all to no avail. It seems my Tablet is fried.

So I am back where I was a year and a half ago, using the venerable Sony U71 for everything. Popped into the dock it is a full PC with keyboard, mouse, external monitor and external hard drive. I am going to be using it for my work and it will be interesting to see how quickly I fall back into the 5 inch screen mode. I know that my work will suffer a little because it is hard to take adequate notes on such a small screen. Too bad it is not a UMPC or another Tablet. One thing I noticed when I switched way back when from the Sony to the HP, my work notes got more detailed and helpful because I could write more on a screen.

It’s a tough time to lose the HP too. Not only have we just moved to the new house, where we are still dodging boxes (ask Matt about that), but I am in a very busy time with my work. Wall to wall meetings everyday, three to four different venues. I don’t even see when I can send the tc1100 back to HP for repairs, and that tells you how busy I am.

This is the reason I haven’t appeared much on jkOnTheRun this weekend. I hope to get settled down with the Sony in tow shortly. Thanks to Kevin for filling in for me this weekend.